Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 review : Over the last few years, Panasonic has worked hard to build up a recognizable camera line. And it is quite obvious that they have succeeded, if we look at the market figures that were revealed during an international press event. Panasonic is ranked at the number 1 position in the compact camera segment in no less than five European countries, which is an impressive achievement. If we take a look at Panasonic's assortment it is not surprising they have taken the first rank. At an early stage, Panasonic chose to equip its entire line with an optical image stabilizer and gave priority to a wide angle zoom lens. These are two of the most important features through which Panasonic have distinguished themselves from others.

Panasonic LX3 for the serious photographer
Two years after the LX2, Panasonic are once again making themselves heard. The Panasonic LX series aims at the serious photographer with high demands concerning image quality and performance. When the LX1 was succeeded, Panasonic had raised the resolution to 10 Megapixels. A decision that was not supported by the demands of the serious photographer, however, it came from marketing strategy. This resulted in enhanced specifications on paper for the LX2, yet did not offer a better or even slightly improved performance from a technical point of view

Increased sensor format on the Panasonic Lumix LX3
It was kind of surprising to see that Panasonic took an active role upon them by actually listening to experiences from practice, whereupon they decided to go directly against the grain of the marketing strategy. Focus went to improving the pixel quality and the general image quality at the same time. With the introduction of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3, the resolution has remained the same, 10 Megapixels; however, the sensor's format has increased which results in an enlargement of the photo diode. And that has resulted in an increase of the sensor sensitivity of 19% compared to the LX2, while the color saturation has increased by 15%.

Panasonic LX3 review - Test in practise and DIWA Lab test
Impressive figures, however; practice and the vigorous DIWA Lab test will show whether or not such an improvement of the sensor actually leads to a larger dynamic range and a high quality signal/noise ratio. The design of the Panasonic LUMIX LX3 is a classy design, offering an almost nostalgic feeling to the purists among us. The zoom lens of the Panasonic LX3 is a superb one; a LEICA DC-VARIO SUMMICRON f/2.0-f2.8 lens with a range of 24-60 mm. A beautiful compact camera that immediately stands out from the crowd thanks to this superb lens. We had the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3 in the office for a short period of time. Our findings can be read in the following Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3 review.

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